I'm working on a project for a class that was originally going to be about the people on the outskirts of society. I was going to walk around the Boston Commons and through pictures I took of these people, I thought, I'd be inspired to explore Zygmunt Bauman's concept of liquid modernity. Liquid modernity is Bauman's way of describing the context we are living in now. Basically, without the solid social forms of the past, we have fewer frames of references and are left as individuals to our own devises. We all become more fluid in our lives without the constraints of the past. We have more choices and more possible paths than ever before. Interpret this as good, interpret this as bad... but I am not making a value-judgment at this point. I am just trying to observe the liquidity around me, specifically by looking at those who are not accepted into the mainstream, the flow of society.
It turns out that with winter approaching there are fewer persons from this population in public spaces outdoors. With very few images to look at, I have not quite felt the inspiration I expected. Today I'm revisiting the images of one performer taken for that project and posting them to try to get more inspired. I've added a picture from NYC because I think it contributes to the collection.
I think there is a lot to be explored in urban greenscapes like the Commons and Central Park. I find so much irony (not sure if that is the best word) in the images above. It's amazing how the awe of incredible structures of industry and of nature can coexist with the awe of poverty.
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